Credit:In October 2022, the council issued a notice demanding the home be returned to its original state, which did not occur. A building survey was eventually completed which found the renovations were compliant and safe.
Defence lawyer Sam Bird said Bedford had no prior convictions, was a world-touring audio engineer and should not be judged as a property developer with an extensive knowledge of building requirements. But Gardiner claimed it was unlikely Bedford was unaware of the legal requirement to obtain building permits before undertaking structural work to a property given he ran a bricklaying company for a decade.
Magistrate Charles Tan issued two fines – one of $20,000 to Watson’s company and another $5000 penalty directly to Bedford - without conviction. The maximum possible penalties for the charges against the company were $220,000 while the maximum for the charge against Bedford was $85,000.